Wayne Rooney has got it all wrong about Mohamed Salah - his critics are completely misdirected

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While there are seven more Champions League fixtures to play and Arne Slot said it was only because of rotation — he doesn't want a situation where Liverpool is unable to sustain its levels all season — it was likely easier to take Salah out of the starting XI because of his recent form. But while Salah has not started the season well — and the beginning of a campaign tends to be when he performs at his best — the emphasis on what has changed and gone wrong at Liverpool has entirely missed the point.

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge (Image: 2025 Robin Jones) Wayne Rooney — someone normally worth listening to when it comes to his punditry and assessment of attacking play, in particular — essentially suggested that Salah was lazy. I think we know he doesn’t always get back and defend as much." Gary Lineker has hinted at something similar, and Danny Murphy and Ian Wright questioned how much freedom Arne Slot really gives to Salah over the weekend.

When Trent Alexander-Arnold was at full-back for Liverpool, the emphasis was never on Salah getting back to help him out. Salah spoke with Slot when the Liverpool boss first arrived on Merseyside and they agreed that he wouldn't have to track back as much, as long as he was being impactful going the other way.